Clue Conspiracy Rulebook

Table of Contents

Table of Contents

• About
• Object of the Game
• Setup
  • Create Your Identity
  • Set Up the Resort
  • Set the Plot
• Prepare to Play
  • The Conspiracy Hatches Their Plot
• Player Roles
  • Secret Roles
  • Rotating Roles
• How to Play a Round
  • 1. Choose a Team
  • 2. Vote
  • 3. Check the Plot
  • 4. Disarm Traps
  • 5. Collect Clues
  • 6. Distribute Supply Cards
• End of the Game
  • If All the Traps Are Removed
  • If the Plot Is Activated
  • If Mr. Coral Is Killed by Traps
• Four-Player Rules
  • Secret Roles
  • Supply Cards
  • Bodyguard

About

14+, 45 min., 4-10 players.

Contents: Gameboard, 10 Secret Role Cards, 10 Identity Envelopes, 9 Trap Tiles, 35 Supply Cards, 21 Clue Cards, 11 Pawns, Wooden Heart Token, Wooden Cloud Token, 6 Weapon Tokens, 9 Location Tokens, Scout Log, Bodyguard Log.

Parents, scan the QR code or visit www.clueconspiracy.com to assist with set up and gameplay.

Object of the Game

CLUE CONSPIRACY is a game of lies, sabotage, and deductive reasoning in which players are on opposing teams: Conspiracy members and Friends. There are three ways to end the game and each offers a unique way to win. See END OF THE GAME.

To win as a Conspiracy member:

• Your main goal is to carry out a murder Plot that takes place in a specific Location with a specific Weapon.
• In case you can't carry out the Plot, try to murder Mr. Coral by setting off Traps around the resort.

To win as a Friend of Mr. Coral:

• Your main goal is to keep Mr. Coral alive by preventing the Conspiracy's Plot and eliminating all the Traps on the board.
• In case Mr. Coral dies by Traps, you should also try to determine who is the Conspiracy Ringleader, what Weapon the Ringleader wants to use, and the Location where they ultimately plan to murder Mr. Coral. If you can determine the WHO, WHERE, and WHAT, you can turn the Conspiracy into the authorities, clear your own names, and win the game.

Setup

Create Your Identity

1. Each player chooses an Identity Envelope. Take the color-matched pawn and place it in front of you.
2. Find the deck of Secret Role cards and take the cards needed based on the number of players (see the chart below). Then shuffle those cards and deal one Secret Role Card to each player. DON'T SHOW YOUR CARD TO ANYONE! Look at your card then store it in your Identity Envelope.

# of Players	5	6	7	8	9	10
Friends	3	4	4	5	5	6
Accomplices	1	1	2	2	3	3
Ringleader	1	1	1	1	1	1

For a four-player game, see the back of this booklet for additional rules.

3. Take the Scout Log and Bodyguard Log from the box and set them aside. These contain reference information about what to do during a round.

Set Up the Resort

4. Place the gameboard in the center of the table. Use the diagram shown in the middle of the page for reference as you progress through the rest of Set Up.
5. Place the wooden Cloud Token on the Storm Tracker.
6. Place the wooden Heart Token on Mr. Coral's Health Tracker. Put Mr. Coral's Pawn aside for now, you'll need it when you begin play.
7. Make a pile of the Weapon and Location Tokens near the board.
8. Shuffle the Supply Cards and deal three to each player. Place the rest of the Supply Cards facedown on the gameboard.

Set the Plot

9. Separate the deck of Clue Cards into three piles:
   • Locations
   • Weapons
   • Instant Disarms and No Clue Found Cards.
10. Shuffle the deck of Location Clue Cards. Draw one, and place it facedown on the CLUE CONSPIRACY logo. This is the Plot Location: the place where the Conspiracy will try to murder Mr. Coral!
11. Draw a second Location Clue Card and place it faceup near the board. The Location shown there is SAFE (it can't be part of the Plot) and can be used later to start the game.
12. Add one Instant Disarm and one No Clue Found to the rest of the Location Clue Cards and shuffle them together. Deal one card facedown on each of the nine Locations around the board.
13. Shuffle the deck of Weapon Clue Cards. Draw one, and place it facedown on top of the Location card on the CLUE CONSPIRACY logo. This is the Plot Weapon: what the Conspiracy will try to use to murder Mr. Coral!
14. Take the rest of the Weapons, Instant Disarms, and No Clue Found Cards, shuffle them together, and place one card facedown on each of the nine Locations around the board.
15. Place one Trap on top of each pile of Clue Cards (one per Location, including the "safe" Location) and make sure the side that's faceup matches the number of players. Trap Tiles are double-sided: 4-7 players and 8-10 players.

Locations on the board: Utility Room, Lifeguard Post, Palm Lounge, Hidden Cove, Botanical Spa, Infinity Pool, Concierge Station, Observation Deck, Royal Villa, Caved-In Floor. The board also has a Supply space ("Gather Supplies Here"), a Discard area, a Supply deck space, the Storm Tracker, and Mr. Coral's Health Tracker ("Mr. Coral's in Danger!").

Prepare to Play

The Conspiracy's Plot to kill Mr. Coral consists of a:

• Ringleader (WHO)
• Location (WHERE)
• Weapon (WHAT)

The Secret Role cards passed out during set up determined WHO is the Ringleader and the two cards now laying face down on the board represent the WHERE and WHAT. Now it's time to bring it all together and have the Ringleader share the Plot with their Accomplices.

The Conspiracy Hatches Their Plot

Choose a random player to narrate the following steps out loud—they'll either need to memorize these steps or use the companion app. See the QR code on the second page of this booklet!

1. Everyone, close your eyes. Shuffle your feet and make some background noise.
2. Conspiracy members (the Ringleader and Accomplices), open your eyes and acknowledge the other Conspiracy members.
3. Ringleader, flip over the Plot cards on the board, and show them to your Accomplices. Memorize the Location and Weapon then put both cards in your Identity Envelope.
4. Ringleader and Accomplices, close your eyes.
5. Everyone, open your eyes.

Player Roles

There are two kinds of roles in this game:

• Secret Roles (Friends, The Ringleader, and Accomplices) that are fixed.
• Rotating Roles (Scout and Bodyguard) that pass round to round. The Scout and Bodyguard may be Friends or Conspiracy members.

Secret Roles

Friends: Your goal is to keep Mr. Coral alive by successfully disarming the Traps that have been laid for him. If a Trap is disarmed, it can't hurt Mr. Coral.

Conspiracy Ringleader: Your goal is to lure Mr. Coral to the Plot Location, but only after he has taken at least one damage and you have been chosen as the Bodyguard when the team visits that Location. To set off the Plot you need to be the right person (the Bodyguard), at the right time (after Mr. Coral has been injured), in the right place (the Plot Location).

Conspiracy Accomplices: Your goal is to help the Ringleader enact the Plot by convincing other players to trust the Ringleader, sabotaging attempts to disarm Traps, and keeping your identity hidden.

Rotating Roles

Scout: The Scout is the team leader for each round. This role always moves clockwise.

Bodyguard: The Bodyguard is chosen by the Scout. Whenever the team moves to a new Location, the Bodyguard gets to collect Clues from that Location. Depending on whether you're a Friend or a Conspiracy member, you may tell the truth about the information you've gathered or lie.

How to Play a Round

The game is played in rounds. Every round consists of several phases:

• The Scout choosing a team of players and a Location to travel to on the board.
• All players voting on that team and Location, then traveling to the Location.
• Asking the table if the Plot was activated.
• The chosen team attempting to disarm the Trap at that Location.
• The Bodyguard collecting Clues after the Trap is removed.
• Distributing Supply Cards.

After these steps have been completed, the role of the Scout moves to the left and a new round begins.

If you want to dive in, begin play now while using the rest of the rules to guide your first round.

1. Choose a Team

The player who most recently flew on an airplane is the first Scout. Place the Scout log in front of you.

The Scout chooses:

1. A LOCATION – If it's the first round, it's recommended that you choose the safe Location Clue Card sitting near the gameboard.
2. A BODYGUARD – That player is responsible for "escorting" Mr. Coral to the chosen Location. Give that player the Bodyguard Log.
3. OTHER TEAM MEMBERS – These are the players you'd like to bring along this round. You may bring any number of players, but the Scout and Bodyguard must always accompany the group. Remember: Who you choose to take along matters. Conspiracy members are hidden among you and can possibly be discovered by how everyone plays their cards each round.

Any player may make an argument for a different Location, Bodyguard, or team composition but it's the Scout's decision to say when their choices are final and then call for a vote.

NOTE: For a faster game and higher stakes, limit the above steps to a 2-minute time limit. Set a timer on your phone each time the role of Scout passes to another player. When the 2 minutes are up, everyone must vote.

ROLE LIMITS: If you have just been the Scout or Bodyguard, you cannot be either of those roles in the next round. Since the Scout always moves clockwise, if a player is next in line to be Scout but was just the Bodyguard, skip them and give the Scout Log to the player after them.

2. Vote

Once the team composition and Location are settled, everyone votes to approve by giving a thumbs up or thumbs down. Majority rules. If there's a tie, the vote fails.

If the vote passes:

• Everyone who has been chosen for the team moves their pawn to the agreed-upon Location. The Bodyguard must also move Mr. Coral's pawn.
• If you are NOT going to the Location, move your pawn to the GATHER SUPPLIES HERE space on the board.
• Move on to CHECK THE PLOT.

If the vote fails:

• Advance the Cloud Token one space on the Storm Tracker.
• A new round begins, and the role of Scout moves to the left (remember to pass the Scout Log) and the new Scout follows the steps to CHOOSE A TEAM. The new team composition and Location are voted on. If that vote passes, reset the Storm Tracker to zero.
• If there are three failed votes in a row, the storm interferes with your efforts to protect Mr. Coral, and he takes one damage. Move the Heart Token accordingly and reset the Storm Tracker to zero.

NOTE: If Mr. Coral dies from taking damage this way, see IF MR. CORAL IS KILLED BY TRAPS and follow the instructions for that end state.

3. Check the Plot

After everyone has moved their pawns to either the chosen Location for the current round, or to the GATHER SUPPLIES HERE space, ask the table if the Plot has been activated. This can only happen if:

• Mr. Coral has taken at least one damage.
• The current Location is the one in the Ringleader's Identity Envelope.
• The Ringleader is the Bodyguard this round.

If the Plot was activated, the game is over and the Conspiracy wins. If the Plot was NOT activated, move on to DISARM TRAPS.

4. Disarm Traps

To disarm traps, you need Supply Cards.

• You may have up to three Supply Cards in your hand at any given time.
• All Supply Cards have a value of either 1 or 2. If the value is 2, that card will also have a suit.
• Traps also have a value and a suit. The value on a Trap Tile is the threshold you need to meet or beat to disarm that Trap.

You may talk about the Supply Cards in your hand by saying things like, "I can be helpful at the Infinity Pool, but not at the Hidden Cove." Try to avoid discussing the values and suits of your Supply Cards. If you're a Friend, this lets the other players know whether to bring you along on any given round and can help prove your innocence. If you're a Conspiracy member, you can lie about what's in your hand to gain the trust of the Friends and set yourself up to sabotage them.

To disarm a Trap:

1. Every player who has traveled to the Location, including the Scout, must submit one or more Supply Cards facedown to the Scout. If you want, you can even submit your entire hand of Supply Cards.

2. The Scout collects and shuffles the Supply Cards.

3. The Scout then flips the Supply Cards over and adds up the total point value.

   • Supply Cards with a value of 1 count toward disarming a Trap.
   • Supply Cards that match a Trap's suit count toward disarming that Trap.
   • Supply Cards that don't match the Trap's suit subtract from the total value of the submitted Supply Cards.

   NOTE: If you're a Conspiracy member, submit Supply Cards that don't match the Trap's suit to prevent the Friends from disarming that Trap.

4. Did the total value of the submitted Supply Cards meet or beat the Trap's value?

   • Yes: The Trap is disarmed! Remove the Trap Tile from the board.
   • No: You've failed to disarm that Trap, Mr. Coral unwittingly stumbles into it and is injured. Remove the Trap Tile from the board, and reduce Mr. Coral's Health Tracker by 1.

5. If Mr. Coral died this round, see END OF THE GAME. If not, proceed to COLLECT CLUES.

NOTE: The Trip Wire Explosive Trap shows both suits on it. This means that ALL Supply Cards count positively toward disarming that Trap.

EXAMPLE: 7 points needed to disarm Trap. Submitted cards: +6 points, -2 points, +2 points = 6. DISARM FAILED.

5. Collect Clues

1. Whether or not the Trap was disarmed, the Bodyguard may now collect the Clue Cards on that Location and choose what information, if any, to share with the other players. DO NOT SHOW ANYONE YOUR CLUE CARDS.

There are four kinds of Clue Cards to find:

• WEAPONS AND LOCATIONS: If you find a Weapon or Location, that means it's not part of the Plot and cannot be the murder weapon or plot location.
• INSTANT DISARM: Keep this card until you are ready to use it after arriving at a Location. It instantly disarms a Trap at any Location without players needing to submit any Supply Cards. You may not want to tell the other players that you found one. IMPORTANT: Playing an Instant Disarm cannot prevent the Plot from being activated.
• NO CLUE FOUND: Nothing to see here! Even the best sleuths can't find Clues that just aren't there.

2. After telling the other players what they found (or lying about it!), the Bodyguard places their Clue Cards facedown in front of them. Also, if the Bodyguard claims that they found a Weapon or Location Clue Card, they take the matching token and keep it in front of them as a visual reminder to the group of who has seen what.

6. Distribute Supply Cards

1. The Scout draws Supply Cards equal to the number of pawns (that includes Mr. Coral's pawn!) on the current Location, and then, without looking at them, distributes the Supply Cards however they choose among the players at that Location. This step always happens, even if an Instant Disarm Card was used to disarm the Trap.
2. Any players who did not travel to the current Location may draw one Supply Card from the deck. Remember, the maximum hand size is 3. If you already have 3 cards, you may not draw or receive any more Supply cards.
3. Pass the Scout Log to the left and begin a new round.

End of the Game

There are multiple ways to end and win this game for both the Friends and the Conspiracy.

If All the Traps Are Removed

If the Friends are able to travel to every Location on the board and remove all nine Trap Tiles before Mr. Coral is killed, they win the game.

If the Plot Is Activated

If the Conspiracy is able to get Mr. Coral to the Plot Location while the Ringleader is the Bodyguard and after Mr. Coral has taken at least one damage (right person, right place, right time), the Plot is activated! Mr. Coral is murdered, and the Conspiracy wins.

NOTE: If neither of the above outcomes happens, see IF MR. CORAL IS KILLED BY TRAPS.

If Mr. Coral Is Killed by Traps

If Mr. Coral's health is reduced to 0, the game is over, and players need to make a Final Accusation. For the Friends, this is the last chance to expose the Conspiracy's Plot and clear their own names when the authorities arrive. For the Conspiracy, this is the last chance to get away with the murder and walk free.

Friends, this is your last chance to clear your names and win the game by correctly deducing WHO the Ringleader is, WHERE they planned to kill Mr. Coral, and WHAT weapon they planned to use. Conspiracy members, do your best to throw off the Friends. If they guess any element of the WHO, WHERE, or WHAT incorrectly, you will win the game.

To make the Final Accusation:

1. Pass the Scout Log to the next player. The Scout will now lead one final round. i. Choose a team just as you would in a normal round, but you do not need a Bodyguard or a Location this time. ii. Let the table vote on that team. If the vote fails three times, the Conspiracy automatically wins. iii. The Scout collects all remaining Clue Cards from the board (and discards any remaining Traps), shuffles them, and deals them one at a time to the chosen team members.
2. Flip over the gameboard.
3. Set a timer for 5 minutes. You may all discuss and debate each element of the Plot: WHO is the Ringleader? WHERE did they plan to kill Mr. Coral? WHAT weapon did they plan to use?
4. All players (even those who weren't chosen for the last team) vote. Majority rules, but if any element is tied, the Scout gets to choose which of the two highest tied options will be the group's final choice.
   • Once the group has agreed on a Weapon and Location, use their corresponding tokens to mark them on the board. Use Mr. Coral's pawn to mark which suspect you think is the Ringleader.
5. Once all the votes are settled, make your Final Accusation by saying, "It was (Character), in the (Location), with the (Weapon)." Then the Ringleader should reveal themselves and the cards in their Identity Envelope. If any of the three elements is incorrect, the Conspiracy wins! If the Friends are able to correctly deduce all three elements they win and are able to turn the Conspiracy in to the authorities.

Gameboard back (Final Accusation reference):

• Suspects: Miss Scarlett, Colonel Mustard, Mayor Green, Solicitor Peacock, Professor Plum, Chef White, Director Rosewood, Dean Celadon, Analyst Hyacinth, Agent Gray
• Locations: Palm Lounge, Infinity Pool, Concierge Station, Lifeguard Post, Utility Room, Hidden Cove, Botanical Spa, Observation Deck, Royal Villa
• Weapons: Fishing Line, Flare Gun, Poison, Knife, Hatchet, Hammer

Four-Player Rules

In a four-player game, there are a few key differences.

Secret Roles

To assign the roles:

1. Take two Friend cards, one Accomplice card, and the Ringleader card. Shuffle them, and deal one to each player.
2. During setup as described in THE CONSPIRACY HATCHES THEIR PLOT, the Ringleader must still look at the Plot Location and Weapon, but the Accomplice should keep their eyes closed and not reveal themselves. The Conspiracy will not know who their partner is in this version of the game.

Supply Cards

• The maximum hand size is 4, instead of 3. You may still submit as many Supply Cards as you want when attempting to disarm a Trap.
• When the Scout collects the Supply Cards submitted by players during a disarming attempt, they should draw one Supply Card from the deck and add it to the pile before shuffling. Since it's random, that card could help or hurt the disarming attempt.

Bodyguard

• The role of Bodyguard functions the same as in the core rules except that even if a player was just the Scout, they CAN be elected as the Bodyguard in the next round.
• A player cannot be the Bodyguard two turns in a row.

All other rules remain the same. Good luck!